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Ravens get another shot at Owens

PHILADELPHIA - Visions of Terrell Owens coming across the middle have probably raced through Ray Lewis' mind all week.

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The All-Pro linebacker hasn't admitted having such thoughts recently, but he sure isn't going to hold back if he gets a shot at Owens when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Philadelphia Eagles today.

The two friends became adversaries when Owens rejected the Ravens, forcing a trade to the Eagles less than two weeks after San Francisco initially sent the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver to Baltimore last March.

Lewis and Owens had a few testy exchanges leading up to a preseason game in Philadelphia, beginning with Lewis warning Owens not to cross the middle. But both insist they're focused on the game this time.

"I look forward to anybody with an opposite-colored jersey coming over the middle. There's no more emphasis on T.O. than anybody else," Lewis said. "My way to heaven doesn't go through Terrell Owens, so I wish we'd stop bringing him up."

Owens would rather talk about his success with the Eagles, who are seeking the first 7-0 start in franchise history.

"I'm just thankful that I'm here," he said. "I knew that for me to be productive and play like the receiver that I know I can be, I had to be put in the right situation."

The loquacious Owens never made a secret of his desire to play with quarterback Donovan McNabb. But, he said for the first time this week that an "offensive" racial comment by Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome also persuaded him to spurn Baltimore.

In his recent autobiography, Owens wrote that Newsome told the wide receiver's agent that, "He was a black man from Alabama just like TO" and that "sometimes a black man's gotta be slapped."